Apologies for the lack of posting over the past few days. Work commitments have kept me tied up and I have been working on a significant story that I plan to publish later next and that has taken up much of my time.
The title of this post is intriguing because you could use it to describe our rivals and haters. Many people of those groups are already sharpening their knives hoping USC goes down but this post isn't about that.
Watch out what you wish for...
I have seen a couple of things over the past week that I have been wanting to get to that have either made me laugh or make me shake my head. Oddly enough all three happen to in volve Notre Dame.
Revisionist History
Notre Dame released its media guide for the 2009 football season. As with most football programs media guides it is chock filled with history and information with one glaring omission...
Notre Dame's media guide has a lot of helpful things -- except one. If you're trying to get a full picture of Charlie Weis' coaching career and how teams have done while he's been on staff, you'll need to do more research. Notre Dame omitted the losing seasons from Weis' year-by-year biography on page 15 of the 2009 Spring Prospectus and page 90 of the 2008 football media guide. Among the omissions is the Irish's 3-9 2007 season. The 2007 statistics appear on page 91 in the 2008 guide and in the school's year-by-year history, among other places. The decision to omit those records goes back to when Weis was hired in 2005 without any prior head coaching experience. Notre Dame's media relations department said Monday that it treated his coaching history like that of an assistant -- only accentuating the positive.
So let me get this straight, he who has stated that he would have a decided schematic advantage doesn't have the courage to take ownership of his own pathetic record at one of the more storied programs in college football. I hate Notre Dame but I feel for their fans because they have to endure the embarassment of watching their program get dismantled by some supposed offensive guru. Right, hows the Emu working out for you Chuck? What about that nimrod ND player who said ND would beat SC the next three years.
You can vacate wins but I didn't know you could also vacate losses...
Wishful Thinking
Doc Saturday had an intriguing piece on Tuesday. To me it was intriguing only because of its optimism...
Politics aside, our current president may be the most in-touch chief America has ever had in the White House, and never moreso than when he's talking college football. He loudly supports a playoff, pretty much every chance he gets. He follows recruiting. And even with an honorary degree in hand and fellow Punahou (Hawaii) graduate Manti Te'o en route to South Bend this fall, Obama wasn't above that most venerated of populist traditions during his weekend tour of the Hoosier State -- taking shots at Notre Dame football:
The Fighting Irish had records of 3-9 and 7-6 the past two seasons—the most losses at the school in a two-year period—and haven’t won a national championship since 1988.
"That’s an issue we may not resolve within my four years," Obama said.
"Eight," shouted someone from the audience.
"All right, well, maybe in eight we might get it done," Obama said.
I put my money on the economy, actually, but you can't say he's not a man of challenges.
I can't stand Lou Holtz but he has my respect for playing a much tougher schedule year in and year out than Weis ever will. If Weis keeps up this type of scheduling ND may end up in Div II. Notre Dame could go 11-1 and still not make the BCS Title game because of their strength of schedule is so weak. Heck, I wish the Urban Meyer to Notre Dame rumors were true so we could get a good game every year with them again. Sign me up for some of that!
You just can't hate ND like you used to when they are a pathetic shell of their former selves. The BCS has their own form of Affirmative Action with ND getting an automatic BCS bowl bid if they finish in the top 8 BCS standings. So, weis pads the schedule with patsies to try and get to that Top 8 so he can rehabilitate his and ND's football image. Can you say desperate?!
How'd that work out for you last year Chuck...
A Sense of Entitlement
This one pissed me off more than made me laugh.
It was the greatest rivalry of the greatest generation. And if officials at Notre Dame, Army and Yankee Stadium can make it happen, the football rivalry that once riveted the nation will celebrate its 100th anniversary in The Bronx.
Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick said yesterday that he is interested in the Irish playing the Black Knights in 2013, the 100th anniversary of the revolutionary 1913 game. He told the Associated Press yesterday that he was, "just thinking out loud," but there is interest for such a game to happen. It was in 1913 that Notre Dame, using the forward pass as a significant part of its offense, beat Army, 35-13.
A call to Army officials was not immediately returned. Irish coach Charlie Weis, a diehard Yankees fan, said through a university spokesman that he's in favor of the idea.
No Kidding!
Weis is a Yankee fan?
Go figure...
You know because Weis is a winner right?
I will finally get to see the New Yankee Stadium later this summer when I attend my first game there. I am NOT a Yankee fan but I married into one of those families that lives by the Yankees and dies by the Jets (ok we have one Mets fan in the family but we pay him no mind and feed him his Porridge in the corner). I keep an eye on the Giants but only because of Steve Smith and Terrell Thomas.
This is typical of the Doh!mer mentality..."We're Notre Dame so we should get to play in the most hallowed of venues."
Rubbish, this is another one of those instances where someone or something tries to live off their past accomplishments to cash in on an opprtunity in the here and now. It would be nice if both Army and Notre Dame were actually good at football so that if this travesty does occur we can at least watch a great game.
Don't bet on it any time soon...